“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” – John 3:16-17 KJV
When it comes to the subject of salvation there are several schools of thought: Salvation by Works, Salvation by Faith, Salvation by Faith and Works, and Salvation by Grace. Only one of these is true; which one could it be? Let’s take a closer look to find out!
Salvation by Works
To say that salvation can be achieved by means of our own works is to attempt to create a messiah out of the things that we do. This, of course, is nothing short of idolatry. For in looking to our own works in this way we are essentially making idols out of our accomplishments. And since God commands us to avoid idolatry (1Cor. 10:14), how then can we be saved by what we are commanded to stay away from? Incidentally, the Bible is very clear on this matter: it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” (Titus 3:5-6 KJV). So, we can’t be saved by our works.
Salvation by Faith
It is quite common to hear people say that we are saved by faith. But I ask, where in the Bible does it say that salvation is by faith? It doesn’t say that anywhere! Granted, it does say that we are saved through faith; but the ideas of being saved by faith and through faith do not foster the same meaning. For to say that we are saved by faith is to make faith the source of our salvation, whereas the expression, through faith, suggests that faith is but a means to salvation, not the source of it.
Listen, faith must look to and rely upon something outside of itself in order to exist; it can’t be the object of our salvation. Christians exercise faith in the promise of Jesus Christ for salvation. Therefore it’s not faith that saves us; rather, it is the object of its focus which saves. And that is the promise of Jesus Christ for salvation to all who will believe in Him. Of course, this translates to Jesus Christ being the one whom we look to and rely upon for salvation, not our faith. For if you say faith saves you, then what else are you really saying but that you have substituted Jesus Christ for faith, as the source of your salvation?
Salvation by Faith and Works
If we can’t be saved by works or by faith, then how can we be saved by faith and works? To say that we are saved by faith and works is to suggest that God needs help to save us. Thus, to some degree, such an idea would still constitute salvation by works, as it would indicate that we would have to exercise something from ourselves in order to make up for something that God supposedly lacks within Himself, to make salvation a reality for us. Hence we can’t be saved by faith and works because God is both omniscient and omnipotent, and doesn’t therefore need us to help Him make salvation possible. For salvation is a free gift from God (it’s already there). In other words, it’s a matter of receiving it, not believing it into existence or working for it (Rom. 5:15-16).
Salvation by Grace
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
Could it be any more clearer that the Bible says that salvation is by grace? Unfortunately, people have a tendency to interpret the expression, through faith, as being one and the same with the expression, by grace, and thus they conclude that it is by grace and faith that we are saved. But be careful here! Don’t forget to demarcate the difference between the words, by and through. These are not the same, but foster different meanings. For by, within this context, represents the source of something, while through, represents the means to the source.
Therefore salvation can’t be by grace and faith, as then it would look like this: ‘by grace and by faith are ye saved’, thus rendering both to be the object or source of salvation. But this can’t be true, because the Bible only gives one of these that designation: “by grace are ye saved through faith.” In other words, there’s only one object or source of salvation here, not two. So why then would anyone say, by grace and by faith are you saved, when the Bible says, “by grace are ye saved through faith?” It is because they are not reading the text correctly, and are therefore guilty of superimposing meaning on the Scriptures that isn’t present within the context of the thought.
Why is this ‘by and through‘ demarcation such a big deal to me? It’s a big deal because many people have gone astray from the truth by adding meaning to Scripture that its context doesn’t support. This kind of thing is not to be taken lightly; for it is a practice that could lead to a destructive end! Even Peter took the time to talk about how deadly this kind of thing could be: “even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16 KJV). It is for us to grasp the intended meaning of Scripture, not to create all kinds of out of context inferences.
Incidentally, the act of exercising faith in God’s promise for salvation wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for Him speaking it into existence. For, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 KJV). And since God doesn’t have to communicate with us, but does so freely, out of love, His speaking to us is therefore an act of grace. What this means, then, is that faith can not be equal to grace, because it results from it. Hence grace not only precedes faith, it is the author of it. For by speaking God makes it possible for people to believe in or exercise faith in what He has said.
Now then, let’s sum this up: Because of what Jesus had accomplished by dying on the cross, sinners, through faith in Him, can be reconciled to God and justified in Christ and Sanctified in the Spirit and glorified in Eternal Life. All of this is the result of God’s grace, and we are therefore saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, God’s grace not only made salvation possible, it is the author of our faith. Hence all glory goes to God, and we have nothing to boast about except that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to redeem us (Jn. 3:16; 1Cor. 6:20)!
If by Grace, Why Not Save Everyone?
Question: If salvation is by grace, then why won’t God save everyone; is He being unfair by saving some while not saving others?
It is important to understand that because God is love, free will exists. For where free will is absent there can be no love, but only tyranny. Therefore free will should be acknowledged as a testimony to God’s grace, not a denial of a loving God. If God were to give humanity what it deserved, the human race would have been wiped out and effaced from existence long ago. But that hasn’t happened, because God is just; and because He is just He has given us an opportunity to be reconciled to Himself through Jesus Christ. Thus, our free will owes its existence to God’s grace.
What this means, then, is that each person will either choose to exercise faith in and receive God’s love, or they will choose to reject Him and remain in darkness. It shouldn’t be assumed that God isn’t fair because some choose to exercise faith in Him while others choose to deny Him. God is fair, not only because He has allowed us to live while knowing from the beginning that we would reject Him on some level, but also because He has given us an opportunity to turn from our wicked ways and be reconciled to Him.
Moreover He even went so far as to give up what was most precious to Him in order to save us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV). Indeed, God is fair! And He gives us what we want; some choose life while others choose damnation. No one is to blame for the choices that we make but us.
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” – 2 Timothy 2:3-4 KJV
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” – John 1:12-13 KJV
The Role of Works in Salvation
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10 KJV
Notice how Paul used the expression, ‘which God hath before ordained.’ What this means is that anything that we do that constitutes a good work in Christ, is the result of the power and influence of God working in and through us. Thus, we can’t take any credit for anything good that comes out of us, as it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that we are able to do good things, as such.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” – John 15:4-5 KJV
Therefore it isn’t possible to be saved by what we think to be ‘our’ good works; yet it is impossible to be saved without good works, because the act of God saving us is, in itself, a good work; and this good work will result in His good works being manifested in and through us. In other words, the good works that we do are actually manifestations of the power and love of Jesus Christ working within us, through the Holy Spirit. Hence the good works which we do out of love for and in the name of Jesus Christ, indicate that we are one with Him.
Those who truly desire to be one with Him will diligently seek to walk in obedience to everything that He has commanded of His people.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15 KJV
Of course, this certainly throws out the idea of ‘cheap grace’, which is the belief that we can live as we please with impunity and still be saved by Jesus Christ. Such a belief is obviously false because it has nothing to do with exercising faith in God, but everything to do with assuming the role of God, in that presumption is given precedence over His voice within the heart. After all, those who are being saved are recreated in Christ Jesus for good works, not sinful indulgences. Hence faith that doesn’t testify of God’s righteous works is dead (see James 2:20).
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21 KJV
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:6-7 KJV
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
Putting It All Together
We are not saved by faith, nor by works, or even by a combination of the two; rather, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And those who have truly embraced God’s grace will demonstrate that salvation is present within them by living in obedience to His voice. (Php. 2:12).
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I am not ashamed to share it with you, because, “it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16 KJV). Do you believe it? If so, are you really showing the world what it means to walk in salvation; are you showing the world what it means to abide in Christ?
Objections to My Position on ‘Saved by‘
Below you will find links to articles that I have written in response to some objections that I have received to my position on salvation:
